The invention relates to a new class of filler compositions, which are lubricious in the mouth, yet bake-stable, shelf-stable, smooth-textured, sweet and creamy, and to products containing them and processes for preparing them. The lubricious, sweet, creamy products of the invention provide a number of product variations and combinations.
Foods having a sweet creamy filler are favorites that extend across generations and cultures. It would be desirable to have a filler composition, having a sweet flavor and a creamy, smooth and lubricious mouthfeel, that could be baked with a cookie or pastry shell, without adversely affecting the flavor or texture of either the filler or the accompanying baked portion. Once baked, the products should be shelf-stable.
The art has proposed a number of solutions to technical challenges in preparing bakeable fillings. For the most part, attempts to bake fillers have been unacceptable, and proposed formulations have compromised the desired properties by adding gelling agents or other materials that alter the desired texture or flavor or otherwise lessen the eating experience. Creamy fillers gain their texture in large part from fat, but fat has the tendency to melt, spread and separate from other ingredients in the formulation. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,637, Harris et al. point out that conventional fillings cannot be applied to cookies and cakes prior to baking for several reasons, including discoloration of the filler and poor appearance and taste of the baked goods. The Harris et al. fillers are said to contain a “substantial proportion of shortening”, but, in fact, were low-fat products, containing less than 25% fat in all of the examples. The formulations included 180 parts of a binding agent, such as flour or starch, for each 400 parts of sugar and each 40 to 175 parts of fat. The examples also contained water contents of 40 parts per 400 parts of sugar. Compositions like these would compromise the desired smooth, lubricious mouthfeel to achieve stability.
In another early attempt, Messina described a bakery filling in U.S. Pat. No. 3,352,688, which comprised an aqueous liquid, sugar, flavoring and a water-insoluble alginate. Fillings prepared according to this formulation were said to have freeze-thaw stability in addition to being stable to baking. However, the exemplified compositions contained no fat, thus seriously compromising a desired smooth, lubricious mouthfeel.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,272, Chen et al. attempted to render cremes thermostable by formulating them to have low water activities (Aw's) and dispersing a hydrocolloid in corn syrup, dispersing a modified starch and albumin in the colloidal dispersion, aerating the dispersion and cooking the dispersion. They point out that prior art high-moisture cremes with low Aw's have been produced by adding various humectants, but assert that cremes produced in this manner have not been thermostable. The Chen et al.-exemplified cremes contain greater than 50% corn syrup and less than 20% fat, with moisture contents of 10 to 20% and Aw's of 0.6-0.7. They point out that cremes known in the prior art generally have high moisture levels and high Aw's (0.8-0.9) and suffer from the problem that, when they are combined with another food product having a lower level of moisture, such as a pastry, the disparity in moisture promotes the migration of water from the creme into the food product of lower moisture, causing a pastry, for example, to become soggy. Chen et al. state that the ability to maintain water activity values within their ranges at high moisture levels allows the texture to be better controlled for use in creme-filled pastries. Their formulations are, however, low in fat and contain significant moisture, making them less than desirable.
In a related teaching for fillings, U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,494 to Tang et al. describes a “thermostable cream” containing any one of a variety of flavors in a formulation containing Ca++ ions, caseinate ions and corn syrup, with maltodextrin and lactose in place of some of the corn syrup of Chen et al. The product is said to withstand baking and be shelf-stable. Various so-called “water binders” are employed to provide an Aw of from about 0.6 to 0.8. While the description would permit up to 35% fat, the only example shows no fat, which, in combination with the gelling system, would compromise a smooth, lubricious mouthfeel.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,366,750 and 5,529,801, Morano points out that products of the type produced by Tang et al. suffer from a common problem in the art, when dealing with water-soluble gelling agents, whether protein- or carbohydrate-based. He argues that these products require significant water contents to hydrate the gelling agent, which one would like to avoid, and proposes the use of an ultra-high surface area cellulose that is able to hydrate in a hydrophilic liquid phase comprised of an edible polyol humectant. Morano also reduces the fat content to less than 15%. Thus, this composition requires the presence of a particular form of cellulose to avoid the need for water, and fats are largely avoided. It would be desirable to meet the challenge of providing a bakeable filler, without resorting to adding cellulose or decreasing fat.
A number of patents describe reduced-moisture foods having Aw's of less than 0.85, and often lower than 0.70. As a practical matter, reducing Aw in accord with known teachings can provide microbiological stability. However, organoleptic and rheological criteria for foods are easily compromised. There is a technical challenge in modifying a sweet food such as a creme filling, with a considerable fat content, such that it becomes stable to baking, i.e. bakeable, without sacrificing its flavor or creamy texture. Once baked, a product must maintain its texture. The food must also retain its flavor, and it must not adversely affect a copackaged baked dough such as is found in cookies, crusts, pretzels, crackers or puffed snacks, such as creamy filled puffed snacks or the like, in terms of taste, texture or color. This means that the baked dough portion of the composite product must maintain a fresh, e.g. crisp, texture. It must not become soggy due to the migration of moisture from the filling or oil-soaked due to the release, i.e. so-called “oil-out”, of oil from the filling.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,080, to Brabbs et al., specifically addresses the maintenance of textural contrast between a crisp outer cookie dough and a chewy inner cookie portion. Their solution to the problem utilizes the concept of Aw and selection of various sugars to achieve what the inventors refer to as cookies having a storage-stable plurality of textures. A central chewy dough portion is prepared from flour, shortening and water mixed with sugars containing a crystallization inhibitor, such that it retains a chewy texture when baked with a crisping outer dough. The doughs are baked to final Aw values of less than 0.8, e.g. from 0.3 to 0.55. The soft, central dough is, however, not a crème, and it does not resist flow during baking. The outer cookie dough encapsulates the interior dough to prevent it from running. These teachings are not seen to address the problems facing the art in the provision of crème fillers having a lubricious mouthfeel, due to significant fat contents, yet requiring bake- and shelf-stability.
Fats will typically run and separate from crème-type products when heated, especially as needed for baking. The issue of oil release is a particular problem, as it affects the texture of baked dough, as well as its flavor and color. Moreover, when oil is released from a filler, the flavor and texture of the filler are also altered. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,634, Gamay et al. address this problem in the context of a low-Aw cheese product containing 40 to 70% cheese. Gamay et al. point out in their discussion that they faced a dilemma, in that binding free water may also contribute to fat separation and dry consistency. They say that they addressed this by allowing merely sufficient water to support the resulting emulsion without fat separation, yet their water contents were very high. The examples reporting satisfactory results included over 34% water and Aw values of over 0.80, and still contained less than 27% fat and less than 10% sugars. Accordingly, their results would not translate well to the provision of crème fillers having significant fat contents, yet exhibiting bake- and shelf-stability.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,399, Dreese et al. address the technology of cremes, but describe low-Aw, reduced-fat cremes in which a high-solids saccharide syrup having dispersed therein a fragmented granular starch hydrolysate reduces fat. The cremes are prepared by making a premix of the granular starch hydrolysate and high-solids saccharide syrup, and then fragmenting the granular starch hydrolysate in the premix. The amount of water in the creme is less than about 46% by weight, and preparation of the fragmented granular starch hydrolysate entails mechanical disintegration. The examples show cremes, some with fat, but only at 10%. While Aw's are relatively low, the water contents of 15 to 30%, along with the low fat contents, will seriously compromise the provision of lubricious, bakeable cremes.
Also, relating to low-fat products, U.S. H1,395, to Prosser, describes a food composition said to be useful as a peanut spread. It has a reduced level of fat and/or oil, due to the replacement of peanut butter with other materials, exemplified as added water of greater than 29% and the materials necessary to stabilize it. The composition is said to be a macroscopically homogeneous blend of a peanut component and an aqueous phase associated with a fragmented granular starch hydrolysate. Again, the formulation does not meet the criteria of a bake-stable, lubricious creme composition.
While related to fillings for dough products, Hahn et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,782, describe non-emulsion-based, moisture-containing fillings comprising at least two Aw-impacting ingredients. The Aw of the fillings can be adjusted, e.g. by the incorporation of moisture, so as to be substantially equivalent to the Aw of the dough into which the filling is to be incorporated. By reducing the differential in Aw's between the dough and the filling, one can reduce or eliminate moisture migration between the filling and the dough. The compositions can contain, for example, a hydrocolloid gum in an amount of from about 0.1% to about 5%, from about 20% to about 60% shortening, a sugar such as dextrose in an amount of from about 10% to about 50%, a liquid sweetener in an amount of from about 1% to about 35%, and optionally, ethanol or a polyol such as glycerol, propylene glycol, sorbitol, xylitol or erythritol. These formulations contain 20 to 60% fat and 10 to 50% sugars, to achieve exemplified Aw's of above 0.725, and are not emulsions. Therefore, these compositions cannot fill the need in the art for bakeable, lubricious, sweet, creamy, low-moisture fillers.
Fileti et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,078, employ polyols and emulsifiers to reduce the fat content of filler cream compositions for reduced-fat sandwich cookies. The cremes contain more than 60% sugar and less than 30% fat and are produced by replacing a substantial portion of the filler cream fat with a polyol, preferably glycerol. Exemplary replacement ratios may range from about 0.85 to about 1.6 parts by weight of polyol per part by weight of oleaginous composition or fat replaced. These compositions cannot fill the need in the art for bakeable, lubricious, sweet, creamy, low-moisture fillers.
In another low-fat product, U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,155 to Cavallin describes an oil-in-water emulsion of quarg or yoghurt, milk, fat, sugar, starch and water, wherein the product is prepared, in part, by homogenizing, pasteurizing and then aerating the resulting mixture. The Aw values are in excess of 0.90, and water contents are from 46 to 48%, with low fat contents of only 25 to 27%. Clearly, these formulations are not related to the objectives of achieving bakeable, lubricious, sweet, creamy, low-moisture fillers.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,472,005, Lingk et al. describe a savory snack product with two layers of a whipped and baked savory sponge and a filling in-between. The sponge is baked prior to adding the filling, which is a water-in-oil emulsion with Aw of between about 0.6 and 0.85. In the example, the filling is prepared from an aqueous phase comprising 25% maltodextrin, 2% sugar, 5.5% tomato extract, 11% water, and minor ingredients such as salt, aroma, and lactic acid, representing 50% of the composition. The other 50% is the fat phase, comprising 49.5% of palm oil plus an emulsifier. The fat is melted and mixed with the emulsifier, and said fat phase is emulsified with the aqueous phase and whipped to an overrun of 50%. Because the emulsion is fat-continuous, the fat would run during baking, if added to the sponge prior to filling.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,672, Gonzalez et al. describe spreadable, water-in-oil emulsion fillings. These fillings can be sweet, but as with Lingk et al., these compositions will spread during baking, as the fat melts. They comprise water, a fat phase comprising a fat with a high solid fat index (SFI), or a combination of fats with high and low SFI's, a mixture of emulsifiers with high and low hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) values, and a stabilizer. When dough products are filled with the emulsion filling, they are said to exhibit enhanced shelf life and, when baked, to produce finished products with enhanced overall product quality. These fillings can be sweet, but as with Lingk et al., these compositions will spread during baking, as the fat melts.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,095, Kleinschmidt et al. describe filling-containing, dough-based products, in particular fruit-filled cookies. These products comprise a crumb or dough and a low-Aw filling associated with this crumb or dough. The filling comprises an aqueous phase having sugar dissolved therein and a thixotropic, cohesive network of fibrils and microfibrils dispersed therein, to control flow during baking a dough portion. The network of cellulosic fibrils and microfibrils functions as a flow-control agent that permits the filling to be co-baked with the dough forming the crumb. The aqueous phase comprises from about 5 to about 50% by weight of an edible polyol humectant, dissolved in said aqueous phase and selected from the group consisting of glycerol, sorbitol, propylene glycol and 1,3-butanediol. It would be desirable, however, to provide a composition that achieved a lubricious texture and mouthfeel, due to a high fat content, without suffering from the problems normally associated with such during baking.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,611, Kahn et al. describe microbiologically stable foods that are usually kept at freezer temperature, but which can be maintained at room temperature or refrigerator temperature for an extended period of time, and are prepared by controlling their sugar/fat content. These compositions, however, have significant water contents, which are greater than their fat contents. An example of such a composition is a pudding containing 30% water, 50% sugar, 18% fat, and minor but effective amounts of alginate, stabilizer, emulsifier and flavoring. This product is semi-soft at freezer temperature and possesses the microbiological stability requisite for storage at room temperature for an extended period of time without spoilage. Another example is a butter creme having 25 to 42% water and 10 to 30% fat. The Aw's are usually about 0.75 to 0.90, which may be effected by the use of polyols. The products are not intended to be bake-stable in association with a dough, to achieve a product having shelf-stable textural distinctiveness.
The problem of spread is not limited to non-emulsified products or water-in-oil emulsions. Oil-in-water emulsions, as described by Bosco et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,795, also spread readily when heated. These spreads can be flavored as desired and are solid at 40° F., preferably at 70° F. The spreads comprise from 10 to 30% of a dispersed fat, a continuous aqueous phase containing an emulsion stabilizer, and an emulsifier system comprising both lipophilic and hydrophilic emulsifiers. These emulsions remain stable after heating.
With all of the prior art attempts to provide stability at various stages of product preparation and in various types of products, it becomes clear that, while the terms “intermediate-moisture foods” and “shelf-stability” may relate to microbiological stability and to foods having some other set of characteristics, they do not relate or provide direct answers to the problems confronted in this application. As a practical matter, the property of “shelf-stability” requires more than microbiological stability. Indeed, there are a number of organoleptic and rheological criteria that must be met, before a product can be considered “shelf-stable”. There is a technical challenge in modifying a sweet food such as a sweet, lubricious creme filling, such that it becomes stable to baking, i.e. bakeable, without sacrificing its flavor or creamy texture.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for bakeable, lubricious, sweet, creamy, low-moisture filler products and processes for their preparation.